Sailing through the Troubled Waters of Foreign Policy Dilemmas, Domestic Political Polarization and Cultural Clashes

Menu

Kaleidoscopic Topsy Turvy: Trying to Make Sense of Trumptopia

A series of changing phases or events viewed upside down creating a state of utter confusion. That’s what a cobbled together kaleidoscopic-topsy-turvy means. How’s that for grasping the surreal everyday “reality” of life in Trumptopia? Let’s try some recent news events on for size, so to speak.

For starters could you find anything more topsy turvy than watching Amarosa, a longtime Trump stalwart, who is now on Celebrity Big Brother, a few nights ago tearfully confess to a housemate that she would never ever vote for Trump again, her supposed super hero for months….before she got booted out of the White House, a “bad place.”

Speaking of what Trump used to call his WH well oiled machine, there have been about 40 administration officials who have either been fired or resigned (details here), It can’t be too well oiled, especially when it comes to the vetting process.

A speech writer accused of sexual abuse just resigned and shortly before that it was Rob Porter, WH staff secretary, also for sexual abuse. Of course, in the latter case at least, Trump emphasized how Porter “says he’s innocent.” Hey, two accusations to his one defense, maybe he is – but not likely given that one photo. The point is Trump always emphasizes claims of innocence by abusers….

BECAUSE THAT IS HIS OWN DEFENSE AGAINST THE DOZEN OR MORE WOMEN WHO ACCUSED HIM OF HARESSMENT OR ABUSE.

How topsy turvy is that? With powerful sexual abusers falling down like cheap shacks as the “me, too” movement has developed into a kind of social hurricane, somehow the charges by all those women against Trump, which of course he denies, just seem to hang there like a fart no one will cop to. I guess Trump gets away with it because he churns out so many distractions per day that his own abusing nature is taken for granted, becomes normalized like so many other things upside down.

His various truth twisters keep to talking points that make it all seem normal despite it being just the opposite. WH Spokesman Sara Sanders is Exhibit A. When asked months ago how the president could demand Democratic Senator Al Franken resign over alleged harassment charges by several women while Trump supported that awful Alabama judge for a vacated Senate seat, Sanders pointed out that the judge denied the charges while Franken admitted guilt (at least in one case).

So, boys and girls, whatever your parents said about the importance of fessing up, no, not in Trumptopia. Deny, deny, deny…..and eventually they’ll get tired of asking.

According to Sara, if you never admit guilt you get the presumption of innocence despite all evidence to the contrary a la el presidente. The accusations of several women against the judge and even more against Trump the president lose their impact when Sanders’s twisted thinking is allowed to reign. More upside down.

My jumping about on this theme reflects the kaleidoscopic aspect of my point of view, but as for the topsy turvy angle, what about this recent budget deal? Hey, I have such low expectations of Congress that I’m basically in favor of it. But my topsy turvy point is the agreement shows, in case there was still any doubt, that Republican fiscal conservatism and the hopes of the tea party have been turned on their heads.

Senator Rand Paul reminded me of Custer at the Little Big Horn, keeping Congress up all night by his refusal to shut up until, like Martin Luther at the church door, he hammered this point home. How could the Republicans who skewered Obama about anything that would add to the deficit just add another 300 or 400 billion or so over the next two years?

At least the tax cut plan could be defended with the rationale that the trillion plus to be lost in taxes over the next 10 years would be made up for by the revenue’s from a finally unfettered booming economy. Seems mostly based on a hope and a prayer, but at least they pretend the added deficit will be paid for through an economy that gets huger and huger….

Of course, this club still called Republicans has really become the party of Trump which can no longer complain about tax and spend liberals when their answer to our financial issues is to not tax but still spend and, like a Hollywood movie, there will be a happy ending. Funny that the Dems are now the one’s talking about overspending, or at least were before they got a huge junk of change in this budget for domestic programs they want, essentially in exchange for giving the hawks billions of dollars the military insist we need.

And, of course, Trump’s tweets imply it was he who got Congress to give the military what it says it needs, which when translated topsy turvy means he mostly got in the way with statements like the government should be shut down if an immigration deal wasn’t included. An impossibility in right side up reality. Unfortunately, as time goes by Trump’s propaganda machine will make it seem Trump made this deal happen. Some will even want to throw him a parade.

IN A NUTSHELL…..

This blog will examine whether we Americans are to be masters of our destiny or victims of fate. We live in an age of increasing complexity, misinformation and ever more rapid change. We face grave problems as a nation, yet we are so polarized that we can't stand to speak with those who differ with us about them. Are we just passengers on our own Titanic? Or can we come together to save the ship? That's the central issue this blog will revolve around.

Follow Blog via Email

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.